The ANC Ekurhuleni region announced that it will back former African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as their candidate to succeed Jacob Zuma as the next party president.

Briefing journalists in Benoni on Tuesday, ANC regional chairman Mzwandile Masina said the regional general council currently underway, has resolved that Dlamini-Zuma was the best candidate to lead the ANC and the country.

The decision was likely to anger many within the Gauteng provincial executive committee given that ANC provincial chairperson Paul Mashatile had already indicated the province preferred deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa as a suitable candidate to succeed Zuma. But Masina was adamant that more regions including Tshwane were likely to support Ekurhuleni’s decision to support Dlamini-Zuma as the next ANC leader in December.

“From our experience leading to and after the conference, comrade NDZ [Dlamini Zuma] is clear, instrumental and supportive of the policy positions that we would have pushed. For instance, if you take the commission on economic transformation…. those resolutions are the aspirations that would have canvassed through our regional policy conference. Some resolutions are radical, but we have full confidence that she will be able to do that and that is why there is a view that we must go out officially and lobby for her support in the structures of the ANC in the region,” said Masina.

He said the women’s league in the region persuaded the regional leadership of the ANC to support a woman candidate.

“They [the ANCWL] were quite instrumental to us formulating a view,” Masina said.

Thus far, Dlamini-Zuma has been endorsed by the ANC women’s league, its youth league, and the Umkhonto We Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) as their preferred candidate.

Meanwhile, the Ekurhuleni ANC leadership has called Luthuli House to take action against ANC MP and former Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele for criticising president Zuma’s leadership style and for calling to step down.

“With regard to comrade Mondli we do not have the authority as the regional executive committee to call for him to step down as the deputy chair. He is, however, a member of the provincial executive committee. We are making a call to the NEC to subject him to disciplinary processes because he transgressed in the national assembly and here in the region. He is also quite problematic in the parliamentary constituency office in Springs,” said Masina.

When asked about his views on the Gupta family and state capture allegations, Masina said: I do hold a very strong view against the Guptas. Where there is any wrongdoing there must be prosecutions. We are anti anyone who seeks to capture the state for individual benefit.